The Best for Babes Foundation has a fantastic ad campaign to change both the public perception of breastfeeding and to highlight some of the barriers that hinder moms from achieving their breastfeeding goals. The campaign celebrates moms without judgement or guilt, and moreover, they're very cute and funny! Enjoy!

When you find something that you love, you stick with it, right?

This was my Thanksgiving post from last year, but being that it's very timely, I thought it was worth repeating...

I can find any excuse to write about breastfeeding, and even if it is seemingly unrelated, I'll find a segue to the topic. This is an email that I received this morning from a very close friend of mine. It's simplicity is beautiful and I figured I'd share it with you. And hey, while we're at it, let's pretend it's from your breastfed child! (I had to get it in!) "Today is a day of thanks. I am thankful for living in a country with many freedoms and especially the freedom to be me. I am thankful to have food and shelter. I am thankful for good health. And above all else I am thankful for [moms] like you. [People] that will love you no matter what, be there during good times and bad, that make you laugh, and just brighten my day! Thanks for being you!"

This past August, I announced information about the Healthy Baby Bounty Bag , and I thought you'd be interested in receiving this exciting update...There is now a letter that you can download, date, sign and send to your local hospital that explains what the Healthy Baby Bounty Bag is; why it's important; what it could mean for the future of
breastfeeding in the United States; and how to get it.

Here is the post with the letter and all the details.  Check it out!

I'm not in the habit of writing movie reviews.  It's definitely not my niche, and coming from a father whose key criteria for a "fine film" includes guns, fire, and helicopters, I grew up watching anything and everything and never became the most discerning filmgoer.  I'm also terribly behind in my movie viewing--my Netflix queue has been capped to the point that I received an email telling me that they are not allowing me to add any further movies.

Until now.

My friend, Amy, who is clearly much more up-to-date with current books and films, asked me to see a midweek movie, and having worked like a madwoman for the past few weeks, I welcomed the break.  Last night we saw "Precious", based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire.  Aside from the acting being superb (and potentially award-winning?), the story itself is remarkable.  You're probably wondering why, on a breastfeeding site, I would write about a movie.  There were quite a few breastfeeding "moments" in the film and without giving away too much, I must mention one of the most poignant scenes.  You may already know that Precious is a 16 year old girl, pregnant with her second child.  She's been emotionally and physically abused her entire life, living in conditions that are absolutely unimagineable to most of us, but the sweetest moment comes when she delivers her baby boy.  She stares at him so lovingly, takes her arm out of her hospital gown, and begins to breastfeed the baby.  It is such a beautiful moment--the nurturing and love that she gives to her baby is amazing, despite having grown up being tortured every day, breaking the abuse cycle which so many victims encounter.

If you get a chance this weekend, please see this movie.  It will change your life. 

In my prenatal breastfeeding classes, I'm the first one to tout the benefits of breastfeeding ad nauseum throughout the two hours I have everyone's captive attention. And yes, one of the myriad perks of breastfeeding is that you may get back into your prepregnancy jeans faster than your formula-feeding counterparts. At the same time, it's not my thing to focus on losing weight and burning calories and dieting while breastfeeding (I actually can't stand that kind of conversation with my non-breastfeeding friends and family either...It never seems to go anywhere positive...)  I give a very general "you need to eat about 500 extra calories a day while breastfeeding" speech, but that's where I leave it. 

Breast-Feed the Baby, Love the Calorie Burn, a recent article that ran in the New York Times, did quite the opposite.  The first two-thirds of the piece focused on becoming a size 4 again; burning a significant amount of calories from breastfeeding alone; and feeling like a "yummy mummy".  The other third?  Yeah, sure...it gave a little face time to women who don't have it as easy with their weight loss while breastfeeding.  I'm not unrealistic...I know how desperately newly postpartum moms want to get out of their maternity clothes and feel like they're getting back into shape.  I simply see this kind of article as a disservice to the breastfeeding process.  My fear is that if the focus is on the calorie burn, too many moms are going to start experimenting with cutting even more when they realize their weight is dropping, potentially decreasing their milk supply. 

It may sound like a wild and crazy idea, but...my recommendation?  Eat well and exercise.  It's the safest way to go while breastfeeding.  It works, but unfortunately it's neither novel nor controversial.  Oh well.

In recent times we've heard, to our utter shock, about: major companies and organizations disregarding and/or fighting the needs of breastfeeding moms who work for them; bosses and higher-ups not adhering to state laws protecting breastfeeding mothers in the workplace; and courts denying appeals of breastfeeding mothers who feel that their breastfeeding relationships with their babies are threatened by the lack of support in the workplace.

Well, perhaps these work environments need to take some lessons from our military's breastfeeding regulations and policies. These people get it! Want to be impressed? Here's the lowdown:

• The Air Force offers four-month deployment deferrals after the birth of a baby.  One mom stated, "The fact that you're in the military, hurrah, hurrah, let's go to war, let's do this, do that, you're not a woman, you're unisex, and once you've had the baby, you're no longer a woman, but back to being unisex. I think the nursing keeps you thinking-I'm a mother, I'm a woman, and I'm taking care of this child. That in itself keeps you sane, you don't lose your identity."
• The Army will defer mobility for 6 months following the birth of a baby.  Active-duty breastfeeding moms stationed in Landstuhl, Germany, get 12 months!
• The Marine Corps allows for 6-month deferments.
• The Navy will provide for a 12-month non-deployment period and lactation support in the workplace.

I think these policies are fantastic and should be mimicked everywhere. 

A special thank you and a salute to all in the different branches of our military.  And an extra kudos to the breastfeeding moms who are protecting their babies while protecting us at the same time.  Your service is commendable!

It's American Diabetes Month and there's no better time to talk breastfeeding!  If you are pregnant and have diabetes (not gestational), OR if you have been breastfeeding and are diagnosed, this is important information to have at hand.  Here are the guidelines for The Diabetic Breastfeeding Mother.

It's that time of the year where we take our health care coverage choices to heart and review what we need most. Whether you are currently pregnant and plan to breastfeed or have been breastfeeding for a year, be sure to scrutinize the fine print and find out if lactation consultations are covered in your health insurance plan. More and more companies are covering consults, but even if it's not "officially" stated anywhere in the literature, submit your bills for reimbursement! You never know...I had one client who was received a check from her insurance company for 90%!

This photo of "The Witch Lactation Station," was part of a Halloween display in Brattleboro, Vermont. Lauren and David Petrie, the creators of this fantastic work of art, drew tons of controversy as a result. Breastfeeding in public is always a hot topic and even though this breast was a mere gourd, it made it onto CBS news in Boston. If you've got any similar Halloween ideas and have taken pictures, please feel free to send them my way and I'd love to post them!

I've probably mentioned this before, but every week I run a breastfeeding support group and, without fail, every week seems to carry a "theme" amongst the moms. One week, everyone seems to have sore nipples. Another, milk supply issues are all the rage. This past week, a signficant portion of the moms were talking about searing nipple and breast pain, so I thought it would be a great time to focus on thrush. How do you know if you have it? What is the best way to treat it? Here's everything you need to know...THRUSH